Mark IV build sheets and broadcast card but MIA manual

[mr.niftie]

Hello,
if all goes as planned, tomorrow i will be the owner of a 1973 Mark IV.
I have the original Build Sheets and Broadcast Card, but no clue how to interpret them.
Cool data, but it all looks greek to me.

Sadly, the car is missing the owner's manual. Any clues on how to source one?

Thanks for your help and patience as i get up to speed.

Mike

[Dan Szwarc]

Sadly, the car is missing the owner's manual. Any clues on how to source one?

eBay, Craigslist, any automotive literature place that sells owner's manuals.

[mr.niftie]

Thank you Dan.
What about the build sheet and broadcast card deciphering. i "searched" . . . honest . . .

[AussieMarkV]

Try martiauto.com. Kevin Marti and his team have production records for Ford Motor Company vehicles from 1967 to 1993.

See what they can do for you.

Good luck

[Dan Szwarc]

Thank you Dan.
What about the build sheet and broadcast card deciphering. i "searched" . . . honest . . .

Those are special internal codes that are not often easily translated into specifics. Sometimes the code refers to the color of a bin a part might have come out of, like coil spring codes used in the late 60s to early 70s, etc.

Post a scan if you want anyone to help interpret. There is no manual or listing that breaks them down.

[mr.niftie]

Thanks to anyone in advance who can shed some light!

[AlT63bird]

I can't say I've ever seen an IBM punch card set up for a ROT/build sheet: most of what I've seen for T-birds of the period used have been the traditional printed out sheet that workers could see as the car passed by their station. I'm wagering that the punch card made the trip with the car starting after the body shell came out of the paint booth and made its way to the trim line, but don't know where it was placed in/on the car (or why). The build sheet will have much more info that you can decipher than the IBM card: in order for me to "crack the codes" for '50s-60s T-birds I had to look at factory gate releases/window stickers to verify what options were on the car and develop a database to track like numbers to options. It doesn't mean I figured out all the codes, but at least got the ones which seemed more important in terms of documenting what came on the car. Hopefully someone out there has been compiling such info in an effort to decode them: I know I still need to this for '67-'76 'Birds built alongside Lincolns/Marks at Wixom Final Assembly Plant.

(Added) Some of the codes on the ROT/build sheet can be sorted out by digging into Master Parts Catalogs - for instance the tag number for the transmission should be listed in it, the part number suffix for the muffler should be have a line-item that includes the full Parts & Accessories or Engineering numbers. Springs, for instance, were provided with an ID tag that was in turn listed in the MPC - same with other components like the engine assembly. Going through the Color/Upholstery albums, soft trim catalogs and shop manuals you should be able to find the codes for interior and exterior trim, vinyl roofs, etc. In other words you may have to go through several sources of information to pull all the listed codes together. Of course, the VIN and Vehicle Certification Label codes, which would have been typed up by someone looking at the ROT/build sheet, can also be broken down by referring to the shop manual.

[mr.niftie]

Thanks for the detailed reply.
I should have pointed out that the attached pdf has 2 pages. The first is the punch card Broadcast Card and the second is what I would call the Build Sheet, so maybe page 2 would actually contain the info that would help most (I should have reversed the page numbers). Thanks.

[Dan Szwarc]

Wow. Computer punch card! I don't believe I've ever seen one. I know punch cards were used in the 60s and 70s, but did not know that they ever ended up in the cars. The "broadcast card" is unique, to say the least.

However, the information contained therein is not easy to interpret.

[mr.niftie]

Hello all.
I know this is a super old post, but wondering if anyone every made any head way in deciphering these?
Michael